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/ 

PROGRESSIVE  DEMOCRACY 


IN 


RELIGION; 


REJOINDER  OF  "CLERICUS"  TO  "SCRUTATOR." 


c2,lLf  mT„"rJ°  ""*'""•  "•  "■'"''■  ""^"'  ""Si"  to  r„l,  i„  fc  h^m  of 

'  Most  of  all  in  man  that  ministers, 
And  serves  the  altar,' 

Dr*  rTrnes**  '^  *°  ^^  convinced  that  Chrktians  are  not  of  necessity  fools."- 


SCHENECTADY : 

RIGGS,  PRINTER— STATE-STREET. 

1848. 


REJOINDER  OF  "CLERICUS." 


In  one  of  our  cities,  not  a  hundred  miles  distant, 
during  a  prayer  meeting,  an  individual  rose  to  edify 
his  brethren  by  a  short  exhortation.  He  prefaced 
his  exhortation  with  the  following  capital  remark: 
"  I  belong  to  the  progressive  democracy  in  religion''  In 
accordance  with  the  same  spirit,  when  the  Synod  of 
Albany  first  took  up  the  subject  of  Dancing,  an  indi- 
vidual threw  out  the  idea — an  idea,  too,  that  seemed 
to  have  great  weight  with  the  zealous — that  it  was 
high  time  the  Synod  had  taken  stringent  action 
against  this  evil ;  for  the  reason,  that  it  would  make 
Presbyterianism  disiinctive  in  its  character.  We  sup- 
pose, from  his  apparent  willingness  to  make  dancing 
a  term  of  church  membership,  like  "  Scrutator" — that 
able  champion  of  the  Progressives — and  from  several 
speeches  on  the  occasion,  all  zealously  tending  to  the 
same  point,  he  was  fully  convinced  that  the  best  way 
to  make  Presbyterianism  distinctive  (not  extinctive, 
reader,)  would  be  for  the  denomination  to  go  over, 
in  a  bod}',  to  the  Progressive  Democracy  in  Religion. 
This  would  satisfy  the  world  that  Christians  are  not 
"fools,"  as  Dr.  Barnes  says,  "  oinecessiti/T  Doubtless 
our  hero  of  the  prayer-meeting  would    deliver  an- 


other  speech  on  the  occasion,  m  perfect  harmony 
with  the  movement,  and  would  extend  to  them  a 
most  cordial  fellowship.  We  wish  we  knew  that  fel- 
low. We  want  to  thank  him  for  that  capital  intro- 
duction to  his  speech.  Had  he  designed  to  burlesque 
a  certain  class  of  modern  religionists,  he  hit  it  exact- 
ly. Nothing  could  be  more  to  the  point.  Religion 
has  its  progressive  democracy  as  well  as  the  state. 
Men  who  seize  a  single  idea,  and  vow  to  it  eternal 
allegiance,  with  all  the  ardor  and  devotion  of  the 
redoubtable  hero  of  Cervantes.  Valiant  knights  they 
are,  too.  No  obstacle  daunts  their  courage.  No 
draw-back  checks  their  progress.  They  will  encoun- 
ter a  threshing-machine  with  a  valor  as  unflinching 
as  that  which  instigated  the  celebrated  knight  in  his 
attack  on  the  windmill  ;  and,  though  the  conflict 
leaves  the  threshing-machine  victorious  and  its  anta- 
gonists with  mangled  limbs  as  well  as  bloody  noses, 
yet  they  pause  only  for  a  moment,  to  cry  out,  persecu- 
tion "  for  righteousness'  sake  ;"  when,  recovering,  as 
if  by  magic,  they  renew  the  struggle  with  a  like  valor 
and  with  like  success.  Our  age  abounds  in  examples. 
Among  the  great  and  growing  evils,  on  which  these 
men  exercise  their  valor,  is  that  most  awful  of  all 
awful  iniquities  that  ever  cursed  the  earth — an  evil, 
which,  to  judge  of  the  importance  they  attach  to  it,  is 
likely  to  }>ring  in  its  train,  wars,  pestilences,  and  fa- 
mines, and  other  dire  calamities,  like  the  merchant's 
goods,  too  numerous  to  mention :  we  mean  the  evil  of 
occasionally  dancing  for  amusement.  Compared  with 
this,  heathenism,  with  all  its  degradation,  its  cruelty 


and  its  crimes,  is  as  nothing.  Pause,  ye  missionary 
heralds !  Hold,  ye  philanthropists,  who  are  printing 
Bibles  and  tracts,  and  laboring  to  dispel  the  intellec- 
tual and  moral  darkness  that  broods  over  the  world, 
hold,  we  say,  till  these  valiant  knights  have  prostrat- 
ed this  deadly  foe  !  Behold  the  spectacle  !  Niagara 
foaming  with  rage  and  calling  in  a  voice  of  thunder 
on  the  upper  lakes  to  pour  down  their  waters  to 
drown  a  rat !  While  the  tiger  and  elephant  are 
loose,  these  men  are  arousing  all  creation  to  bring 
their  clubs  and  cudgels  to  kill  a  mouse.  Is  there 
a  minister  or  a  layman  who,  hearing  this  cry,  hesi- 
tates to  obey  the  summons  ?  Tremble,  ye  culprits ! 
Don't  you  hear  their  response  ?  "  Meroz"  is  cursed ! 
for  he  "  comes  not  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against 
the  mighty." 

Not  long  since,  the  writer  of  this  felt  himself  called 
upon  by  the  state  of  the  times,  to  publish  an  argu- 
ment against  the  increasing  tendency,  in  ecclesiasti- 
cal bodies,  to  push  their  legislation  to  extremes;  and 
also  to  awaken  the  attention  of  Christians  to  the 
"  more  excellent  way"  of  reforming  the  world,  than 
of  making  every  new  fantasy,  respecting  matters 
non-essential,  a  term  of  church-membership :  viz.  by 
concentrating  their  energies  on  the  direct  further- 
ance of  the  Gospel.  We  addressed  our  communi- 
cation to  the  Synod  of  Albany.  Perhaps  the  public 
may  get  the  impression,  from  our  omission  to  discri- 
minate, that  all  of  the  Synod,  except  us,  were  in  favor 
of  that  kind  of  legislation.  Far  otherwise.  A  large 
number  of  that  body  agree  with  us  in  the  main  posi- 


6 

tlons  we  have  taken.  To  onr  Letter  .several  replies 
have  appeared.  One  hi  the  columns  of  the  Specta- 
tor, a  professedly  religious  paper  in  Albany.  It 
amounted  to  nothing.  It  was  mere  random  declam- 
ation. AVe  were  not  at  all  surprised,  when  we  saw 
in  the  columns  of  the  same  paper  which  contained 
this,  pious  froth,  an  urgent  call,  by  the  editor,  on  his 
patrons,  to  make  a  general  rally  and  procure  for  him 
additional  subscribers.  This  battery,  thought  we, 
will  soon  silence  itself  Its  subscribers  cannot  be 
sufhciently  fond  of  noise,  to  pay  their  money  a  great 
w^hile  for  powder  merely  to  shoot  wads. 

Another  individual  has  written  an  answer  and 
published  it.  It  is  directed  to  Clericus.  This  is  also 
a  gem.  When  we  first  read  it  we  were  terribly 
frightened.  At  the  least  noise  we  instinctively  start- 
ed, supposing  the  sheriff  was  approaching  w^th  a 
writ, "  de  haeretico  comburendo."  For  the  moment,  we 
were  laboring  under  the  illusion  that  we  were  living 
in  times  anterior  to  the  toleration  act.  Recollec- 
tion of  the  nineteenth  century,  however,  soon  re- 
turned, when  we  recovered  our  senses,  and  breathed 
more  freety.  To  save  "  Scrutator"  the  mortification 
of  being  passed  by  in  silence,  we  will  notice  his 
leading  arguments. 

First,  let  the  reader  understand  our  own.  What 
was  our  position  ?  Was  it  to  favor  balls  or  worldli- 
ness?  Not  at  all.  It  was  simply  this  :  Church  cowls 
have  no  rujht  to  male  damiwj  a  term  of  church  mcmber- 
ahij).  In  defending  this  position,  we  verily  thought 
we  were  doim^  the  church  a  service.     AVe  were  do- 


fending  the  rights  of  the  private  members  of  the 
church  from  an  iimoarrantahle  assumption  of  authority 
over  them,  on  the  part  of  their  superiors.  Every 
layman  is  seriously  interested  in  resisting  every  such 
encroachment.  There  is  a  pinciiih  involved,  which 
vitally  affects  his  individual  interests.  Because,  if 
church  courts  take  it  into  their  heads  to  force  the 
conscience  of  a  layman  in  regard  to  one  thing,  not  in 
itself  wrong,  they  may  in  a  thousand  other  things- 
Where  is  the  limit  to  this  power  ?  Where  will  they 
stop  ?  Bear  in  mind,  reader,  that  this  and  this  only, 
is  the  issue  which  "  Clericus"  has  raised.  Now,  how 
are  we  answered  ?  We  will  represent  it  in  the  form 
of  a  dialogue. 

Clericus.  Church  courts  have  no  right  to  make 
dancing  a  term  of  church-membership,  because  Christ 
does  not,  and  there  is  no  passage  of  Scripture  which 
explicitly  condemns  it. 

Scrutator.  You  had  no  right  to  write  that  letter 
to  the  Synod  of  Albany. 

Clericus.  Nor  have  church  courts  a  right  to  make 
dancing  a  term  of  church-membership,  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  inexpedient.  Dr.  Barnes  and  others  say,  that 
the  doctrine  of  expediency,  as  exhibited  by  Paul, 
where  he  says,  "  If  meat  make  my  brother  to  offend, 
I  will  eat  no  flesh  while  the  world  standeth,"  &c., 
applies  likewise  to  dancing,  and,  therefore,  condemns 
it.  Well,  if  that  passage  be  applicable  to  dancing, 
so  also  is  the  following,  written  by  the  Apostle  on 
the  same  subject,  and  designed  to  elucidate  the  same 
principle  :  "  Let  not  him  that  eateth  despise  him  that 


cateth  not ;  and  let  not  him  that  eateth  not,  judge 
him  that  eateth ;  for  God  hath  received  him."  Or, 
to  change  a  word,  "  Let  mt  him  thai  dmiceth  not,  judge 
1dm  tlmt  daiiccth ;  for  God  hath  received  him"  Church 
courts,  therefore,  have  no  right  to  make  dancing  a 
term  of  communion. 

Scrutator.  Ah  !  we  smell  the  rat.  You  are  not 
only  worldly  yourself,  but  you  are  an  advocate  of 
worldliness. 

Clericiis.  We  deem  it  best  for  church  courts,  as 
well  as  individuals,  "  not  to  be  wise  above  tvJmt  is 
written'^ 

Scrutator.  Ah !  we  now  not  only  smell  the  rat, 
but  we  distinctly  see  it.  Monstrous  !  It  is  as  big  as 
an  elephant !  Clericus  is  the  most  worldly  man  in 
existence  !  He  is  but  "little  better  than  one  of  the 
wicked." 

Clericus.  Dr.  Barnes  himself,  in  his  commentary 
on  the  passage  I  have  quoted  before,  as  an  offset  to 
his,  says,  (a  circumstance  he  seems  to  have  forgotten 
when  he  wrote  his  sermon  on  Dancing,)  that  this  pas- 
sage teaches  distinctly,  that  we  have  no  light  to  force 
the  conscience  of  our  brethren  in  regard  to  matters 
"  non-essential."  He  says,  "  If  he  cannot  see  that 
the  Bible  requires  a  particular  cut  to  his  coat,"  no 
power  on  earth  has  a  right  to  attempt  to  make  him 
see  it ;  that  to  do  so  is  an  unathorized  meddling 
with  "  other  men's  matters" — a  thing  expressly  con- 
demned by  the  Apostle  Peter  ;  that  such  an  exercise 
of  power  is  "  lording  it  over  God's  heritage  ;"  that 
this  principle  of  the  Apostle  lies  at  the  very  founda- 


9 

tion  of  true  charity,  and  that,  if  men  had  only  acted 
on  this  principle,  it  would  have  saved  many,  if  not 
all,  church  contentions.  Dr.  Hodge  says,  in  relation 
to  this  passage,  that  "  If  God  has  not  made  a  thing  a 
term  of  communion,  iuc  have  no  right  to  do  so." 

Scrutator.  We  will  leave  you  to  settle  your  con- 
troversy with  Dr.  Barnes,  and  the  other  Doctors,  as 
best  you  can. 

Clericus.  The  American  Tract  Society  have  pub- 
lished a  tract  which  pretends  to  bring  forward  three 
passages  of  Scripture,  which  explicitly  condemn  danc- 
ing. The  first  of  these  j)assages  has  not  the  remotest 
allusion  to  dancing.  The  second.  Dr.  Barnes  says, 
has  no  design  whatever  to  teach  that  dancing  is 
wrong.  The  third  speaks  of  the  fact  that  the  daugh- 
ter of  Herodias  danced  before  Herod,  but  no  more 
condemns  dancing,  than  the  passage,  in  the  Parable 
of  the  Prodigal  Son,  which  says,  when  the  son  return- 
ed, they  had  "  music  and  dancing,"  approves  of  it. 

Scrutator.  Did  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles 
dance  ? 

Clenciis.  Church  courts,  therefore,  have  no  right 
to  make  dancing  a  term  of  communion. 

Scrutator.     You  are  opposed  to  every  good  reform. 

Clericus.  We  have  another  difficulty.  If  church 
courts  do  this,  they  virtually  give  up  to  Rome,  prin- 
ciples, which,  if  carried  out,  would  authorize  all  her 
extravagances.  They  do  this  in  three  respects. — 
1st.  They  add  unauthorized  supplements  to  the  word 
of  God.  They  engraft  upon  it  a  doctrine  which  it 
does  not  teach.    Now,  is  it  not  one  of  our  great  com- 


10 

plaints  against  Rome,  that  .she  makes  ''  void  the  law 
by  her  traditions  ?"  2d.  They  usurp  an  unauthor- 
ized power  over  the  human  conscience.  They  have 
no  right  to  force  the  conscience  of  their  brethren  in 
regard  to  things  in  themselves  lawful  or  indiflerent. 
Do  we  not  complain  bitterly  of  Eome  for  thus  tyran- 
nizing over  the  human  conscience  ?  3d.  They  make, 
as  we  have  been  showino;  all  alou":,  unauthorized 
tests  of  church-membership.  This  is  another  of  our 
great  complaints  against  Rome.  This  question,  there- 
fore, of  making  dancing,  and  every  other  little 
thing,  a  term  of  communion,  involves  the  very  hinge 
on  which  hangs  our  controversy  with  Rome.  We 
cannot  consistently  reproach  her  for  carrying  out  a 
prmciple  we  adopt  and  practise  ourselves. 

Scrutator.  Tetzel  went  through  Germany  j^eddling 
indulgences. 

Clejicus.  We  have  still  another  difficulty.  If 
Church  courts  make  dancing  a  term  of  communion, 
it  will  open  the  door  for  making  additional  tests, 
when  urged  by  that  class  of  men  commonly  known 
as  men  of  "  one-idea."  If  Church  courts  do  it  in  this 
case,  consistency  would  require  them  to  do  it  in 
others.  Why  not  ?  The  same  arguments,  by  which 
they  justify  this,  would  apph',  with  equal  force,  to  a 
thousand  other  things — such  as  fashionable  parties, 
using  tobacco,  or  tea  and  coffee,  and  extravagance  in 
dress — moderate  drinking  of  wine,  holding  of  slaves 
&c.  When  urged  by  these  "one  idea"  religionists  to 
carry  out  their  principles,  how  <^;ni  tlicy,  in  nil  con- 
sistency, refuse  ? 


11 

fSerntator.  What  venom  against  serious  truth ! 
Perhaps  the  public,  on  the  ground  that  no  man  mak- 
ing the  least  pretension  to  common  sense,  Avould 
make  such  replies,  may  suspect  that  this  is  burlesque. 
If  they  will  take  our  letter  to  the  Synod  and  "  Scru- 
tator's" reply,  and  compare  the  two,  they  will  find 
t/us  is  indeed  a  true  representation  of  the  real  state  of 
the  controversy.  Yet  "  Scrutator,"  with  a  character- 
istic self-contempt,  says  he  does  not  pretend  that  he 
has  said  all  that  might  be  said  against  dancing.  Dr. 
Barnes  said  well,  "  That  the  world  is  yet  to  be  con- 
vinced that  christians  are  not  of  necessity  fools" — 
only  he  might  have  added  that  the  same  is  to  be 
done  in  regard  to  ministers.  We  promise  the  public, 
that  before  we  get  through,  we  will  do  what  little  we 
can  towards  so  desirable  a  result. 

"  Scrutator"  is  here  ready  to  say,  "  You  have  omit- 
ted in  your  dialogue  some  of  the  strongest  imnts  of 
my  reply  1"  We  acknowledge  it,  "  Scrutator."  We 
omitted  them  there  on  purpose  to  make  them  mat- 
ters of  special  consideration  afterwards.  Now  we 
will  bring  forward  your  strong  points.  ■  Here  they  are, 
verhatim,  from  your  reply ;  the  strongest  we  can  find. 
"Moreover  it  is  expected  that  the  grossly  profane 
will  scoff  at  serious  things ;  but  it  was  not  to  have 
been  expected  of  a  minister  of  Christ."  Again: — 
"  Sir,  are  you  indeed  a  clergyman  ?  Or  have  you 
only  assumed  the  title  for  effect  ?  Is  it  possible  that 
such  venom  against  serious  truth  can  find  a  lodge- 
ment in  a  clergyman's  heart  ?"  Again  :  "  Are  you  a 
pastor  ? — will    the    promulgation   of  such    opinions 


12 

raise  you  in  the  estimation  of  tlie  pious  portion  of 
your  flock?  Will  tliey  secure  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  the  thoughtless  and  irreligious  ?  Are  you 
unsettled  ?  and  do  you  wish  to  secure  a  field  of  la- 
bor and  usefulness  ?  Will  the  letter  which  you  have 
written  to  the  Synod  of  Albany  be  likely  to  intro- 
duce you  into  those  vacancies  where  they  wish  to 
secure  the  labors  of  a  pious,  self-denying,  faithful, 
uncompromising  minister  ?  Oh,  sir,  I  am  sorry  that 
you  have  written  that  letter,  for  your  own  sake. 
That  you  may  be  led  to  see  things  more  correctly,  is 
the  sincere  prayer,  of  yours,  truly.         Scrutator." 

So  "  Scrutator" — alias,  little  Da^id,  (for  in  his  reply 
he  modestly  compares  himself  to  David  cutting  off  the 
head  of  Goliath,  i.  e.,  the  head  of  Clericus,  with  Go- 
liath's own  sword,)  after  thus  turning  up  the  whites  of 
his  eyes  and  ejecting  this  pious  bile,  betakes  himself  to 
prayer.  He  prays  for  our  conversion.  This  reminds  us 
of  an  occurrence  that  took  place  in  a  western  village, 
and  under  our  own  observation.  Elder  Knapp,  at  the 
time,  was  under  full  sail  with  one  of  his  protracted 
meetings.  A  prayer-meeting  was  hold  one  evening 
in  the  week  by  the  young  people.  A  most  worthy  and 
excellent  elderly  lady,  who  had  for  many  years  taken 
a  great  interest  in  the  young  people,  was  wont,  occa- 
sionally, to  attend  this  meeting.  She  had  been  much 
esteemed  by  the  young  people  in  the  days  of  their 
calmness,  and,  as  a  token  of  their  resj^cct  and  af- 
fection, when  they  spoke  of  her,  they  would  prefix 
the  appellation,  "  mother,"  to  her  real  name  ;  which, 
for  the  .sake  of  convenience,  we  will  call  Quitman. 


At  this  time  the  yoimg  people  had  become  nearly 
crazed  with  Knapp's  extravagances.  So  much  so, 
that  they  introduced  into  their  accustomed  meeting, 
the  practice  of  having  the  "  sisters"  participate,  vo- 
cally, with  the  "  brethren"  in  prayer.  On  one  of 
these  occasions,  just  at  the  height  of  their  fanaticism, 
when  the  "  sisters"  were  quite  officious  in  doing  their 
share  of  the  praying,  and  the  "  brethren"  equally 
conspicuous  in  groaning,  Mother  Quitman  happened 
to  be  present.  Immediately  after  the  meeting  was 
dismissed,  before  they  left  the  room,  Mother  Quit- 
man ventured  to  remonstrate  with  them  for  the 
gross  irregularity  she  had  witnessed.  Whereupon 
the  leader  of  the  meeting,  Avho  was  one  of  the  young 
progressive  democrats  in  religion,  exclaimed,  "  Bre- 
thren and  sisters,  let  us  iwaij  for  Mother  Quitman." 
Instantly  all  were  do^vai  upon  their  knees,  and 
Heaven  was  violently  importuned  to  forgive  this 
transgressing  mother  in  Israel,  for  the  awful  sin  of 
opposing  the  work  of  God.  And  were  they  not 
right  ?  Was  it  not  plain,  as  the  noon  da}'  sun,  that 
Mother  Quitman  was  opposed  to  'prayer  ?  Did  she 
not,  on  this  occasion,  attempt  to  quench  the  S2nrit  of 
prayer  ?  Will  any  one  dare  to  justify  her  conduct  ? 
If  so,  we  tell  him  that  the  majonty  of  these  humble, 
self-denying,  self-abasing,  and  self-dif&dent  brethren 
and  sisters,  were  against  her.  Indeed,  the  most  pro- 
minent actors  in  Knapp's  protracted  meeting  were 
horrified  at  Mother  Quitman's  presumption.  What 
greatly  aggravates  her  ci^se  is,  that  though  she  was 
not  a  minister,  yet,  she  was  a  minister's  wife.      Can  it 


14 

he  possible?  What !  a  minister's  wife  oppose  prayer? 
Who  doubts  7ioi(f  that  these  young  people  wore  ?'i(jf/it 
in  interceding — most  earnestly  interceding — for  this 
wicked  woman  ?  Will  any  one  have  the  hardihood  to 
dispute  this  ?  We  say,  they  were.  There,  answer  us, 
if  you  can.  And  so  w^as  "  Scrutator"  right  in  praying 
for  "  Clericus."  And,  that  his  prayer  "  availcih  mvch," 
is  evident  from  the  subdued  tone  with  w^hich  Cleri- 
cus conducts  his  rejoinder. 

We  thank  "  Scrutator"  for  his  prayer.  Would  that 
we  could  return  the  compliment.  But  alas!  "the 
prayer  of  the  wicked  is  an  abomination."  No  gift 
have  we  with  which  to  return  this  extraordinary  fa- 
vor. All  the  return  that  w^e  can  make,  w^e  now  offer 
in  the  way  of  advice.  First:  before  he  w^rites  again, 
we  advise  "  Scrutator"  to  study  his  grammar.  When 
he  gets  to  the  verbs,  let  him  learn  the  difterence  be- 
tween the  w^ords  "  s-e-t"  and  "  s-i-t,"  and  sundry  other 
words ;  and  also  glance  his  eye  slightly  over  the  ar- 
ticle of  prosody.  Next  we  advise  him  to  transmit 
his  publication  to  Barnum,  the  celebrated  curiosity- 
monger.  It  is  a  rarity.  Nothing  like  it  has  appeared 
since  the  days  of  the  Commonwealth.  "  Scrutator,'' 
however,  has  not  shown  quite  so  much  taste  in  the 
selection  of  a  title  for  his  pamphlet,  as  the  Puritans 
of  those  times  did  for  like  productions.  They  were 
accustomed  to  select  titles  like  the  following:  "  Cnims 
of  Comfort  for  the  Chickens  of  the  Church."  "  Scru- 
tator" might  remedy  this  defect  by  a  second  edition 
— binding  up  with  it  Barques'  Sermon,  and  the  Tract 
of  the  American   Tract   Society  on   dancing;    and 


15 

then  adopt  the  foregoing  title,  with  a  slight  variation, 
which  we  will  suggest :  for  example,  '"  Dumplings  of 
Comfort  for  Pious  Ranters."  On  the  reverse  of  this 
book,  he  would  do  well  to  have  a  picture  of  himself; 
alias,  David  just  in  the  act  of  cutting  off  Goliath's 
head  with  his  own  sword. 

There  are  three  thino-s  with  which  mortal  man 

o 

ought  never  to  argue.  A  hurricane,  a  brawling  wo- 
man, and  a  f^xnatic.  With  a  hurricane,  for  the  reason 
that  logic  has  no  aptitude  for  a  contest  with  wind. 
With  a  brawling  w^oman,  for  the  reason  that  the 
essence  of  the  victory  consists  in  having  the  last 
word.  With  a  fanatic,  for  the  two  reasons  already 
given  for  avoiding  a  contest  with  the  hurricane  and 
the  woman.  This  is  the  only  apology  we  offer  the 
public  for  dealing  as  we  do  with  "  Scrutator." 

But,  it  is  alleged  that  we  have  abused  the  Ameri- 
can Tract  Society,  and  ridiculed  a  tract  which  they 
have  published.  We  acknowledge  the  likeness  we 
drew,  was  sufficiently  ugly  and  revolting.  But  we 
protest,  the  fault  was  not  in  the  artist.  He  who  has 
an  ugly  face,  should  not  complain  if  the  artist  does 
not  make  him  appear  the  perfection  of  beauty. 
What  did  we  ?  We  showed  the  utter  fallacy,  not  to 
say  7ionseiise,  of  the  author's  arguments.  Then  we 
noticed  the  impiety  of  a  most  ridiculous  story,  where 
an  "  Aged  Pastor"  is  made  to  say,  that  God  damned  a 
young  lady  at  the  very  instant  she  made  up  her 
mind  to  go  to  a  ball.  We  have  nothing  to  take 
back.  It  was  a  gross  blunder  in  the  American  Tract 
Society  to  publish  such  a  tract.     They  deserve  the 


16 

rebuke.  A  more  nonsensical  string  of  arguments  is 
seldom  to  be  met  Avitli  on  any  subject,  than  is  con- 
tained in  that  tract.     Then  to  give  their  sanction  to 
such  a  story !     What  was  the  object  of  this  story  ? 
Why  to  i)rovc  that  God  has  done  in  his  providence, 
what  He  has  not  done  in  his  word,   i.  e.  explicitly 
condemned  dancing.     What  shall  we  say,  too,  of  the 
blasphemous  presumption  of  the  "  Aged  Pastor,"  in 
attempting  to  wield  the  arm  of  the  Almighty,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  Him  work  a  miracle  to  satisfy 
the  contracted  views  of  a  mere  mortal  on  the  subject 
of  dancing  ?     What  shall  we  say  of  his  assuming  to 
speak   so  confidently  of  God's  secret  dispensations? 
When  the  "  Aijred  Pastor"  wrote  that  marvellous  de- 
claration,  he  must  have  just  returned  from  his  pulpit, 
where  he  had  been  preaching  from  the  text,  "  The 
secret  tliino:s  belono-  unto  the   Lord   our  God  :  but 
those    things  which    are   revealed,  belong   unto   us." 
What  fanaticism  was  ever  yet  broached  that  has  not 
claimed  public  credence  on  the  ground  that  God  had 
ratified  it,  by  some  extraordinary  demonstrations  of 
his  providence  !     When  the  catarrhal  influenza  pre- 
vailed in  France,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  the  priests 
taught  the  people  that  it  was  a  judgment  from  God 
for  singing  an  obscene  song.     When  the  person  was 
attacked,  they  said,  "  He  must  have  sung  the  song." 
(We  seem  to  see  "  Scrutator,"  as  he  reads  this,  bright- 
ening up  his  eyes,  from  the  reflection,  that  he  has  us 
completely  on  the  hip,  inasmuch  as  he  can  noio  give 
the  world   "confirmation  strong  as  proof  of  Holy 
Writ,"  that  "■'  Clcricus '  is  not  only  in  favor  of  danc- 


17 

ing,  but  also  of  singing  obscene  songs.)  The  Roman- 
ists have  fabricated  thousands  of  absurd  stories  about 
God's  inflicting  miraculous  judgments  on  Protestants 
for  opposing  the  Holy  Mother  Church.  And  British 
Christians  reciprocate  their  charity  by  insinuating 
that  God  has  afflicted  Ireland  with  a  famine,  because 
they  are  Catholics.  Singular,  that,  though  Ireland 
has  been  in  the  same  religious  condition  for  many 
centuries,  yet  the  Almighty  has  just  happened  to 
think  Ireland  is*  inhabited  by  Catholics  ;  and  has  just 
awakened  to  the  importance  of  punishing  them  for 
their  religion ;  particularly  while  heathen  nations 
are  so  muck  better  off,  in  point  of  religion,  than  they. 
("  Scrutator !"  do  you  hear  that  ?  Is  it  not  clear 
as  mud  that  "  Clericus"  is  a  Catholic  in  disguise  ? 
Away  with   such  a  fellow  from  the  earth !)     That 

great     and    most    charitable    revival   preacher, 

(Pay  attention,  "  Scrutator ;"  evidence  is  forth- 
coming that  "  Clericus"  is  likewise  opposed  to  re- 
vivals,)— that  great  and  most  charitable  revival 
preacher.  Rev.  Charles  G.  Finney,  once  said,  in 
a  public  sermon,  that  God  had  laid  Nettleton 
aside,  because  he  had  ceased  to  attend  protracted 
meetings.  That  is,  God  wrought  a  miracle  to  pun- 
ish Mr.  Nettleton  and  convince  the  world  that 
Mr.  Finney  was  the  chosen  Gideon  of  the  age, 
raised  up  expressly  to  lead  on  the  "fearless  little 
flock"  of  kindred  spirits,  whom  alone  it  is  the  "  Fa- 
ther's good  pleasure  to  give  the  kingdom,"  to  battle 
and  to  victory.  When  contemplating  that  man — 
Mr.  Nettleton — we  were  prone  to  indulge  the  hope 

c 


18 

that  he  went  to  heaven!  But  how  can  that  be, 
when,  towards  the  very  close  of  his  life,  he  "  went 
not  with"  the  "  Progressive  Democracy  in  religion  ?" 
What !  a  man  go  to  heaven  who  opposed  revivals — 
and — and — shall  we  say  it  ?  even  Mr.  Finney  ?  No,  it 
is  out  of  the  question.  His  case  is  as  plain  as  that 
of  the  young  lady,  whom,  according  to  the  "  Aged 
Pastor,"  God  condemned  to  hell  for  making  up  her 
mind  to  go  to  a  ball.  Nay,  plainer.  Because  the 
"Pastor"  being  an  "aged"  man,  may 'have  fabricated 
that  story  in  his  dotage  ;  but  Mr.  Finney  was  at  mid- 
age — in  the  full  muturity  of  his  powers,  and  had  un- 
doubted evidence  of  the  fact  he  relates.  However, 
the  story  of  the  "  Aged  Pastor"  has  the  sanction  of 
the  American  Tract  Society;  and  that  surely  will 
make  it  of  cqtial  weight  with  the  story  of  Mr.  Finney. 
A  reliarious  "  Progressive"  was  once  hindered  from 
fulfilling  an  appointment  to  preach,  on  account  of  a 
violent  thunder  storm  that  suddenly  came  up  just 
as  he  came  near  the  place.  In  consequence  his  feet 
were  turned  in  another  direction.  This  he  after- 
wards spoke  of  as  a  wonderful  interposition  of  Provi- 
dence. He  was  so  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  his 
own  littleness  that  he  really  supposed  the  Almighty 
got  up  this  terrible  uproar  of  the  elements  expressly 
to  give  him  a  Junt  that  he  should  not  go  to  that  place 
and  preach.^  In  the  name  of  good  sense,  when  will 
this  fanaticism  cease  ?  When  the  world  are  made 
infidels  Ijy  it  ?    Yet  it  is  fostered  and  encouraged  by 

*  See  Rev.  Sidney  Smith  on  Special  Providences,  or  Edinburgh 
Review. 


19 

a  Society  formed  expressly  to  put  down  infidelity  1 
A  Society,  too,  that  is  wonderfully  particular  in  her- 
alding through  the  land,  what  it  calls  the  impositions 
of  Romanism,  because  they  tell  big  stories  about 
God's  working  miracles  through  the  relics  of  saints. 
"  Scrutator,"  alias  little  ''  David,"  comes  up,  hurls 
his  sling  at  our  poor  temples,  because  we  did  not  give 
implicit  credence  to  the  story  of  the  Aged  Pastor,  and, 
then,  having  prostrated  "  Goliath,"  he  siezes  his  gigan-i 
tic  sword  and  cuts  off  the  Giant's  head.  This  latter  act 
was  because  "  Goliath"  committed  the  '■'  unpardonable 
sin"  in  reproving  the  American  Tract  Society  for 
giving  its  high  sanction  to  the  custom  of  telling  such 
marvellous  stories.  But  it  is  not  the  first  offence  of 
the  kind  that  this  Society  has  committed.  If  it  were, 
it  might  be  overlooked.  Other  instances  of  the  kind 
are  on  record.  One  will  suffice.  In  Tract  No.  221, 
of  the  bound  volumes  of  the  Society,  put  forth  to  aid 
the  cause  of  Temperance,  may  be  found  the  follow- 
ing story  about  an  old  lady,  who,  in  consequence  of 
a  long  habit  of  drinking  alcohol,  at  last  got  on  fire 
by  spontaneous  combustion,  and  burned  up,  clothes 
and  all,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  of  the  servants  and 
neighbors  to  extinguish  the  flames.  After  stating 
that  there  were  ten  cases  of  the  kind,  the  author  of 
this  tract  says, — ''  It  would  be  unnecessary  to  relate 
the  whole,  but  I  will  state  one  of  them,  and  from  tJiis 
an  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  rest.  It  is  the  case  of 
a  woman  eighty  years  of  age,  exceedingly  meagre, 
who  had  drunk  nothing  hit  ardent  spirits  for  ^cars. 
[Quite  probable.]     She  was  sitting  in  her  elboAv  chair, 


20 

while  her  waiting  maid  went  out  of  the  room  for  a 
few  moments.  On  her  return,  seeing  her  mistress  on 
fire,  she  immediately  gave  the  alarm  ;  and  some  peo- 
ple coming  to  her  assistance,  one  of  them  endeavor- 
ed to  extinguish  the  flames  with  his  hands,  but  they 
adhered  to  them  as  if  they  had  heeii  dij)j)ed  in  hrandt/  or  oil 
on  fire.  Water  was  brought  and  thrown  on  the  body 
in  abundance,  yet  the  fire  appeared  more  violent — 
[every  body  knows  that  water  makes  fire  burn  more 
violently,] — and  ?^as  not  extinguished  till  the  ivlwle  body 
had  been  consumed.  The  lady  was  in  the  same  place 
in  which  she  sat  every  day,  there  was  no  extraordi- 
nary fire,  and  she  had  not  fallen." 

We  will  start  a  query  here.  It  is  whether  the  old 
woman's  shoes  were  burned  up  with  her  clothes.  We 
can  imao;ine  how  alcohol  mio;ht  saturate  her  stock- 
ings,  and  thereby  make  them  combustible  ;  but  that 
it  should  penetrate  her  shoes  and  make  them  also 
combustible  ;  shoes  that,  it  is  probable,  she  had  not 
worn  more  than  a  year,  though  she  had  drunk  nothing 
but  akoJwlfor  many  years  ;  we  say,  that  the  shoes  also 
should  burn  up,  is  to  us  a  great  miracle.  We  can 
conceive  how  a  large  quantity  of  clothes  and  a  hu- 
man body  with  all  its  flesh  and  bones,  and  teeth,  too, 
especially  the  teeth,  could  be  saturated  with  alcohol 
and  burn  up ;  but  we  cannot  get  it  through  our  hair 
how  the  shoes  should  share  the  same  fate.  Surely, 
though  the  smoke  and  stench  must  have  been  slightly 
offensive,  being  in  the  same  room,  yet,  if  the  people 
stood  there  all  the  time,  some  of  them  might  have 
snatched  the  slioes  as  a  brand  from  the  burning.    Her 


21 

dress  and  stockings  were  consumed  as  well  as  the 
body.  But,  as  no  mention  is  made  of  the  shoes  be- 
ing rescued  from  the  conflagration,  we  have  a  right 
to  infer  that  they  too  vanished  with  the  rest ;  and 
this  is  our  greatest  wonder.  We  deem  this  a  matter 
of  vast  wiportance — one  that  will  seriously  affect  all 
future  strides  of  old  Mr.  Temperance  Reform.  We 
doubt  whether  the  old  gentleman  can  walk  much 
further,  without  having  this  or  a  similar  pair  of  shoes 
to  put  on.  He  Avill  surely  bruise  his  feet  if  he  stirs 
another  step  without  them.  In  more  points  than 
one,  therefore,  is  the  temperance  cause  dependent  on 
this  wonderful  story  for  its  prosperity.  In  the  next 
edition  of  that  tract  we  hope  this  matter  about  the 
shoes  will  be  cleared  up.  If  not,  we  shall  have  an 
^  Inquirer'''  put  out  on  this  all-important  subject.  We 
shall  select  the  ^'  Inquirer,"  because  it  is  its  peculiar 
province  to  take  subjects  of  like  importance  and  give 
them  a  most  thorough,  learned  and  labored  discussion. 
Already  has  this  able  publication,  whose  editors, 
with  unparallelled  disinterestedness,  are  seeking,  as 
they  say,  nothing  but  truth,  already  has  it  made  and 
published  to  the  world,  gratis,  a  discovery — second 
only  to  that  of  Morse's  Telegraph — a  discovery  which 
is  likely  to  startle  the  nations,  viz :  that,  though  the 
great  majority  of  mankind,  of  all  ages,  have  thought 
otherwise,  yet  there  r^«//y  is  a  radical  difference  be- 
tween twedle-dum  and  twedle-dee.  Let  the  "  Inqui- 
rer," then,  take  hold  of  this  mighty  subject — and,  if 
it  cannot  find  the  old  woman's  shoes,  we  hope  it  will 
call  a  council  of  chemists  and  physicians,  and  have 


22 

the  ashes  of  this  marvellous  conflagration  analyzed 
and  see  if  there  are  not  some  remains  of  the  leather. 
But,  if,  after  investigation,  it  finds  that  the  ashes 
were  thrown  out  into  the  fields,  (of  course  there  was 
no  funeral,  for  the  "  ivhole  hodi/  tvas  consumed^')  we 
hope  that  the  ideMiccd  spot  where  the  ashes  fell  may 
be  searched  out,  and  it  be  ascertained  whether  ve- 
getation has  grown  there  from  that  day  to  this. 
We  know,  beforehand,  from  reason,  that  vegetation 
ougM  not  to  grow  on  such  a  spot.  And  should  Dr. 
Hun  contradict  us,  we  pledge  our  word  that  we 
could  fill  a  dozen  numbers  of  the  "  Inquirer"  Avith 
letters  from  eminent  physicians  throughout  the  coun- 
try, that  will  say.  Dr.  Hun  knows  nothing  ahoid  it. 
Now,  the  "  Inquirer"  need  have  no  delicacy  in  taking 
hold  of  this  through  fear  of  interfering  with  the 
operations  of  the  American  Tract  Society.  When 
the  result  is  ascertained,  it  may  be  issued  in  a  new 
Tract ;  and  thus  the  Society  and  the  "  Inquirer" 
might  both  pull  together  Then,  if  both  will  publish 
the  result  simultaneously,  we  predict  there  will  be 
such  a  rush  of  the  people  to  sign  the  pledge  as  never 
has  before  been  known — such  as  no  previous  array 
of  astounding  facts  has  ever  caused. 

But  to  be  serious.  We  allude  to  these  things,  "not 
because  we  love  Caesar  less,  but  Kome  more."  From 
our  very  heart  we  say  it,  we  love  the  American 
Tract  Society.  No  institution  of  the  age  is,  in  our 
judgment,  better  adapted  to  do  good.  But  let  it  not 
encourage  these  fanatical  extravagancies.  Let  it 
keep  within  its  proper  sphere  and  leave  the  "isms''  of 


23 

the  day  to  themselves.  If  men  of  "  one-idea"  have 
a  little  spare  money,  and  offer  it  for  a  premium  tract, 
let  them  publish  the  tracts  at  their  own  expense,  and 
on  their  own  responsibility.  The  Society  will  have 
enough  to  do  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Besides,  it  will 
save  itself  a  world  of  trouble.  We  have  it  from  a 
source  entitled  to  credit,  that  since  the  Society  pub- 
lished the  Tract  on  Dancing,  its  officers  have  receiv- 
ed letters  from  Abolitionists  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  requesting  them  to  publish  Tracts  on  Slave- 
ry ;  and,  urging,  as  a  reason,  that  the  Society  had 
published  a  Tract  on  Dancing.  In  this  the  Aboli- 
tionists were  right.  Surely  slavery  is  a  greater  evil 
than  dancing.  Now,  the  Society  ought  to  take  a  po- 
sition where  it  can  he  consistent.  If  it  does  not,  it 
will  get  into  trouble,  of  which  it  has  no  conception. 
A  portion,  at  least,  of  the  religious  community  will 
not  go  beyond  the  line  where  "  Forbearance  ceases 
to  be  a  virtue." 

But, "  Scrutator"  makes  another  allegation.  "  Cleri- 
cus"  is  opposed  to  the  reforms  of  the  day.  This 
allegation  is  based  upon  the  following  language  of 
our  Letter : 

"  Indeed  the  whole  policy  of  special  organizations, 
*'  and  special  enactments  against  special  evils  is,  in  our 
"  humble  judgment,  incorrect.  Providence,  no  doubt, 
*•  has  wise  reasons  in  permitting  the  experiments  of 
"  the  present  age  to  be  tried.  He  may  thereby  de- 
"  monstrate  to  the  world  by  our  experiments,  and  to 
"  succeeding  ages,  that  his  07vn  plan  of  reforming  men 
"  which  strikes  at  the  heart,  the  source  of  all  these 


24 

"  evils,  is  the  best.  So  thought  Paul,  and  his  col- 
"  leagues.  '  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,'  says  he, 
"  *  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  Nor 
"  did  he.  Imagine,  for  a  moment,  the  Apostle  turning 
"  aside  from  his  grand  mission,  and  sending  word  to 
"■  Corinth,  or  to  Ephesus,  that  on  a  certain  day  he 
^'  would  be  there  and  lecture  on  Anti-Slavery,  or  Tem- 
^''  perance,  or  on  Dancing,  or  on  any  other  particular 
^  evil,  after  which  he  would  organize  a  society  !  What 
"  can  be  more  ludicrous  !  And  is  the  nature  of  your 
"  mission.  Reverend  Sirs,  different  from  his  ?  Ought 
"  you  to  turn  aside  and  concentrate  your  energies  on 
"  particular  vices  ?  No,  not  if  you  would  adhere  to 
"  apostolic  example.  If  the  same  labor  and  zeal, 
"  and  time  and  money,  which  have  been  spent 
"  in  the  19th  century  in  this  way,  had  been  devoted 
"  to  the  direct  furtherance  of  the  Gospel,  there  would 
"  have  been,  at  this  day,  a  far  more  wide-spread  and 
"  substantial  reformation  in  all  these  particular  re- 
"  spects  than  there  is  now,  and  many  more  souls 
"  saved — to  say  nothing  of  tjie  church  contentions 
"  and  distractions  these  proceedings  have  caused. 
"  This,  we  take  it,  is  God's  way  of  reforming  the 
"  world." 

"  Clericus"  is  of  the  opinion,  Mr.  "  Scrutator,"  that 
you,  and  many  other  good  men,  are  not  taking 
the  most  appropriate  measures  for  reforming  the 
world.  Special  enactments  against  special  evils,  and 
special  organizations  to  put  down  special  evils,  are 
too  slender  reliances  on  which  to  base  our  depend- 
ance  for  subjugating  this  revolted  world  to  the  do- 


25 

minion  of  Christ.  It  strikes  us,  Sir,  that  the  Great 
Founder  of  our  religion  knew,  fully  as  well  as  you 
and  other  reformers,  what  organization  was  best  to 
effect  this  object,  when  He  constituted  the  church. 
Had  He  deemed  it  better  to  adopt  these  reforming 
machines,  on  which  you  so  much  rely,  we  think  He 
would  have  left  directions  for  the  Apostles  and 
others  to  ply  them  exclusively,  and  leave  the  church 
to  take  care  of  herself  But  He  thought  otherwise. 
Accordingly,  when  He  commissioned  His  disciples, 
He  did  not  say,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  form 
Temperance  and  Anti-Slavery  Societies,  and  deliver 
lectures  on  these  subjects ;"  but,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,  bap- 
tizing them,  &c.,"  i.  e.  inducting  them  into  the  church 
by  the  proper  ceremony  of  initiation.  These  patent 
reforming  machines,  Sir,  require  too  many  hands 
and  too  much  expense,  to  work  them.  Then,  after 
all,  the  work  they  do  is  usually  of  little  worth.  Both 
the  warp  and  the  woof  are  of  miserable  material, 
and  miserably  put  together.  It  wears  but  a  little 
while.  Notwithstanding;  all  the  efforts  of  reforming; 
tinkers  to  make  these  machines  work  better,  they 
are  every  day  getting  worse,  and  more  unmanage- 
able. In  the  language  of  Foster,  the  celebrated  es- 
sayist— "  The  nature  of  man  still  '  casts  ominous 
conjecture  on  the  whole  success.'  While  that  is  cor- 
rupt, it  will  pervert  even  the  very  schemes  and 
operations  by  which  the  world  should  be  improved, 
though  their  first  principles  were  pure  as  heaven ; 
and.  revolutions,  great   discoveries,  augmented   sci- 

D 


26 

ence,  and  new  forms  of  polity,  will  become  in  effect 
the  sublime  mechanics  of  depravity.     Hitherto  the  fatal 
cause  of  all  these  evils,  the  corruption  of  the  human 
heart,  has  sported  with  the  weakness,  or  seduced  the 
strength,  of  all  human  contrivances  to  subdue  them. 
Nor  do  I  perceive  any  signs  as  yet  that  we  are  com- 
mencing a  better  era,  in  which  the  means  that  have 
failed  before,  or  the  expedients  of  a  new  and  more 
fortunate  invention   shall   become   irresistible,   like 
the  sword  of  Michael,  in  our  hands.     All  the  spe- 
culations and    schemes  of  the  sanguine    projectors 
of  all  ages,  have  left  the  world  still  a  prey  to  infi- 
nite  legions   of   vices   and   miseries,    an   immortal 
band,  which  has  'trampled  in  scorn  on  the  monu- 
ments and  dust  of  self-idolizing  men,  zvho  dreamed,  each 
in  his  day,  that  they  ivere  horn  to  chase  these  evils  aid  of  the 
worW    [We  hope  none  of  our  great  reformers  of  the 
present  day  will  make  a  i^ersonal  application  of  this. 
We    presume    Mr.  Foster  meant   nothing  iyerso)ml\ 
"  Their  work  is  before  them ;  the  scene  of  moral  dis- 
order presents  to  them  the  plagues  which  they  are 
to  stop,  the  mountain  which  they  are  to  remove,  the 
torrent  which  they  are  to  divert,  the  desert  which 
they  are  to  clothe  in  verdure  and  bloom.     Let  them 
make  their  experiment,   and  add  each  his  page  to 
the  gloomy  records  in  which  expenence  contemns  the 
folly  of  imaginationr     Yes,  we  say,  with  Mr.  Foster, 
"  Let  them  try  their  experiments."    They  are  in  full 
chase,  striving  to  catch  and  bring  back  the  evils  that 
have  escaped  from  Pandora's  box.     We  do  not  ex- 
pect they  will  overtake  them.     No  matter  how  fast 


:^7 

they  go,  nor  how  far,  these  evils,  like  a  shadow  or 
a  beckoning  ghost,  will  keep  between  them  and 
their  pursuers  the  same  illusive  distance.  Just  near 
enough  to  make  them  reach  out  after  them,  and  just 
far  enough  oif  to  be  as  effectually  beyond  their 
grasp,  as  if  oceans  rolled  between.  Thus  will  they 
run  over  hills  and  dales,  and  over  states  and  conti- 
nents, deaf  to  the  voice  of  Calvary,  calling  them 
back  to  their  abandoned,  yet  plighted,  service.  Thus 
will  they  run,  ever  grasping  at  the  receding  object, 
till,  at  last,  they  sink  in  the  ocean  of  squandered 
existence,  to  be  utterly  forgotten,  or,  remembered 
only  as  the  victims  of  a  delusion.  But,  thank  Heaven, 
though  we  expect  these  evils  will  ever  elude  the  grasp 
of  self-sent  mortals,  one  resource  yet  remains.  Hope 
is  still  in  the  box.  Our  hope  is  in  God,  and  in  God's 
plan.  Turning  from  these  schemes  of  men,  we  will  put 
our  trust  in  the  omnipotence  of  God,  exerted  through 
the  church,  the  instrumentality  He  has  instituted  for 
working  out  the  moral  renovation  of  earth.  Across 
the  river  which  separates  our  race  from  the  land  of 
the  Millennium,  God  has  erected  a  bridge  sufficiently 
ample  in  its  structure  and  dimensions  for  all  to  pass 
over.  We  do  not  deem  it  best  to  build  any  others 
hy  the  side  of  it ;  especially  if  they  are  to  be  support- 
ed by  a  single  "  idea,"  and  covered  with  planks  of  pa- 
per pledges,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Temperance  and 
Anti-Slavery  bridges.  In  other  words,  the  Christian 
religion,  brought  to  bear  on  mankind  through  the 
church,  is  the  great  instrumentality  designed  by 
Christ  for  reforming  the  world ;  and,  if  its  professors 


confine  themselves  to  the  great  work  of  spreading 
the  Crospel,  they  will  be  more  in  their  appropriate 
sphere  than  by  turning  aside,  unhidden,  by  Him  to 
Whom  they  have  sworn  allegiance,  and  bending 
their  energies  to  the  advancement  of  a  "  single  idea." 
Here,  allow  us  to  remark,  that,  at  this  sentiment,  we 
expect  "  Scrutator,"  and  his  allies,  will  shudder  with 
instinctive  horror.  Because  we  have  had  the  bold- 
ness to  think  the  great  hridgc  is  sufficient,  we  expect 
these  logical  antagonists  will  put  out  another  publi- 
cation, to  prove  that  we  are  at  heart  opposed  to 
having  ang  bridge  at  all  Connected  with  this,  will  be 
a  long  dissertation  to  show  the  importance  of  bridges 
— the  dangers  to  which  people  will  be  exposed,  in 
attempting  to  cross  rivers  without  them  ;  and,  then, 
will  come  the  legitimate  inference ;  what  a  wretch 
must  he  be,  who  will  stand  up  in  the  19th  century, 
directly  facing  the  "  march  of  mind,"  and  have  the 
hardihood  to  oppose  these  benevolent  conveniences  ? 
In  vain  will  we  reply,  that  we  utter  this  sentiment, 
not  because  we  are  ambitious  to  brave  the  "  march  of 
mind,"  and  fall  a  martyr  in  opposition  to  its  progress; 
but,  because  we  wish  to  give  it  a  proper  direction ; 
because  we  wish  it  to  pass  over  to  the  land  of  the 
Millennium  on  the  great  thorough-fare  Christ  has 
provided,  without  turning  aside  to  erect  others  near 
it,  from  the  slender  materials  of  its  own  invention. 
Very  well.  Gentlemen,  peddle  out  your  declamation 
as  long  as  you  choose.  You  will  have  the  unani- 
mous applause  of  the  stockholders  and  directors  in 
these  new  concerns.     But,  as  for  us,  while  it  is  our 


29 

province  to  direct  travellers  the  safest  way  to  cross 
the  stream,  we  shall  jDoiiit  them  to  the  old  and  well- 
tried  iDridge  ;  and,  should  it  be  our  lot,  in  after  life, 
to  be  stationed  on  any  of  the  distant  by-ways  that 
lead  to  this  bridge,  whenever  interrogated  by  anx- 
ious passengers,  we  shall  say,  in  the  language  of 
Inspiration,  "  See  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where  is 
the  good  imy,  and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls."  No,  it  will  not  do.  Christians 
may  better  employ  themselves  than  by  abandoning 
their  covenant  connexion,  and  enlisting  in  this  reli- 
ofious  romance.      Between  Himself  and  all  the  mem- 

o 

bers  of  his  church,  Jesus  Christ  has  solemnized  a 
marriage  tie  ;  and,  when  they  so  far  forget  their 
vows  and  their  duties,  as  to  seize  a  subordinate  idea, 
and  make  it  imramoimt  to  the  advancement  of  His 
kingdom,  they  wantonly  sever  a  connexion,  and  di- 
vorce principles  which  He  designed  should  be  eter- 
nal ;  and  that,  too,  while  the  voice  of  Inspiration, 
with  all  its  mighty  sanctions,  is  sounding  in  their 
ears,  "  What  God  hath  joined  together,  let  no  man 
put  asunder." 

3d.  These  extraneous  associations  cannot  reach 
the  cause  of  all  these  evils.  In  morals  and  relisrion, 
as  well  as  mechanics,  it  is  an  invariable  rule,  that 
the  same  causes,  "  caeteris  paribus,"  produce  the  same 
effects.  No  schemes,  therefore,  that  are,  in  their  own 
nature,  unadapted  to  remove  the  cause  of  any  given 
effects,  can  possibly  succeed  in  removing  those  ef- 
fects. All  the  evils  which  afflict  mankind  are  the 
effects  of  one  great  cause ;   that  is,  as  Foster  says, 


30 

"  the  depravUi/  of  the  human  heart."  Take  the  Tem- 
perance organization,  as  an  illustration.  Where, 
in  that,  are  to  be  found  those  elements  of  power 
adapted  to  reach  this  mighty  cause  ?  In  vain  you 
search  for  them.  Through  this  institution  you  aim 
only  at  externals.  You  strive  to  destroj'-  only  exterior 
acts !  Where  do  you  attempt  to  reach  the  heart — 
the  fountain  of  all  these  evils  ?  You  are  attempting 
to  dry  up  the  Mississippi  by  dipping  out  its  waters 
with  buckets,  while  you  leave  its  fountains  untouch- 
ed ;  and  even  your  buckets  are  bottomless.  When 
will  the  stream  be  dry  ?  Not  so  long  as  the  foun- 
tain continues  to  pour  forth  its  accustomed  supply. 
And  this  will  never  cease,  till  the  Omnipotence  of 
God  reaches  it  through  the  church  and  hy  the  Gospel. 
What  little  success  you  have  had,  has  been,  in  many 
instances,  virtually  the  success  of  defeat.  You  have 
reformed  men  from  the  cup,  but  thousands  have  be- 
taken themselves  to  opium,  or  to  gluttony,  or  some 
other  species  of  intemperance.  They  only  change 
their  mode  of  being  intemperate.  Still  the  question 
returns.  Why  do  you  not  reach  the  cause  of  these 
evils  ?  For  the  reason,  that  your  institution  is  not 
adapted  to  the  object.  Your  best  resource  is  moral 
suasion.  But  this  is  inadequate.  It  is  notorious 
that  it  often  fails  when  connected  with  the  high 
sanctions  of  religion,  to  effect  much.  How  much 
more  will  it  prove  unavailable,  when  dissevered  from 
all  these  tremendous  sanctions,  as  is  the  case  with  all 
secular  reforms  ?  Besides,  you,  who  arc  so  fond  of 
statistics,  tell  us  hovi  much  you  owe  to  the  Gospel  for 


31 

what  little  success  you  have  ?  Deduct  from  it  that 
portion  for  which  you  are  indebted  to  the  direct  and 
incidental  influences  of  the  Gospel,  and  how  much, 
that  is  of  any  worth,  will  remain?  Your  remaining  spe- 
cimens will  be  like  the  skeletons  "  of  dry  bones"  seen 
by  the  prophet — withered,  dried,  and  dead.  Do 
your  best,  you  cannot  string  them  with  nerves,  and 
muscles,  and  clothe  them  with  flesh — much  less,  put 
within  them  the  breath  of  life.  You  ma}^  stand  and 
plead  and  argue  before  them  till  doom's  day,  yet  you 
will  effect  nothing.  Your  declamation,  like  the  in- 
cantations of  an  eastern  conjurer,  over  the  dried  and 
antiquated  body  of  a  mummy,  will  never  bring  them 
to  life ;  and,  like  the  conjurer  with  his  incantations, 
you  are  wasting  time  and  energies  for  nought,  that 
might  be  better  employed.  But  you  will  say,  "  Is  it 
not  notorious,  that,  while  we  were  declaiming,  thou- 
sands have  been  clothed  with  the  habiliments  of  flesh, 
and  walked  forth  as  living  evidences  of  our  power  T 
So,  too,  while  you  were  declaiming,  rain  fell  and  ve- 
getation grew,  but  that  does  not  prove  there  was  any 
necessary  connexion  between  your  declamation  and 
the  falling  of  the  rain,  or  the  growth  of  vegetation. 
That  i/ou  should  not  discern  the  difference,  or  that 
you  should  claim  all  the  credit  for  yourselves,  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at.  God  still  carries  on  His  grand  pur- 
poses through  the  church  and  hy  the  Gospel,  tvhatever 
you  may  do  ;  nor  will  He  cease  "  breathing  life,"  into 
these  skeletons,  because  ignorant  mortals  may  think 
it  is  the  effect  of  their  oimi  power,  and  claim  the  glory 
for  themselves.    If,  then,  the  Gospel  imparts  to  your 


boasted  success  all  its  real  virtue,  why  not  act  the 
part  of  wisdom  and  adhere  to  that  organization,  with 
which  God  has  deposited  the  Gospel,  and  through 
whose  institutions  He  works  for  the  "  pulling  down 
of  strong  holds  ?" 

But  this  is  not  all.  You  have  in  this  extraneous 
organization,  no  elements  of  stability/  and  pcrmanenci/. 
Look  at  the  history  of  this  movement.  Nothing  but 
one  continued  succession  of  advances  and  relapses. 
Society,  wielded  by  it,  swings  to  and  fro,  like  the  tide. 
When  at  the  close  of  some  powerful  appeals  from 
your  declaimers,  the  tide  has  receded,  your  custom 
has  been  to  shout  "  victory,"  and  run  down  on  the 
shore  to  the  water's  edge,  and  there,  with  great  pa- 
rade, erect  your  embankments  of  paper  pledges  to 
prevent  its  return.  But  it  has  as  invariably  return- 
ed as  it  has  gone  out,  and  sometimes,  as  if  to  show 
its  contempt  for  these  paper  embankments,  it  has 
not  only  swept  them  away,  but  has  overflowed  the 
surrounding  country  with  tenfold  more  destruction 
than  before.  Look  at  your  experiments  mth  your 
license  laws,  for  an  example.  So  will  it  ever  be. 
We  have  an  ample  store  of  facts  in  our  possession  to 
verify  this.  View  this  matter,  then,  in  any  aspect 
you  choose,  and  you  will  find  that  experience  does, 
indeed,  "  cast  ominous  Conjecture  on  the  whole  suc- 
cess." If  you  aim  only  at  partial  success,  your  re- 
ward is  infinitely  disproportionate  to  your  labor. 
If,  with  the  experience  you  have  already  had,  you 
expect  complete  success — if  you  expect  to  make  eight 
hundred  millions  of  human  beings  sign  the  pledge  of 


33 

total  abstinence  and  keep  it,  Mr.  Barnes  need  not 
say  of  you,  that  you  are  "  fools  of  necessity,"  but  of 
choice.  No,  j^our  scheme  is  utterly  impracticable. 
You  cannot  permanently  advance  your  "  one  idea," 
so  long  as  it  is  weighed  down  with  so  many  unwiel- 
dy incumbrances.  It  is  too  much  like  an  ant,  tugging 
the  livelong  day  at  a  burthen  it  cannot  lift ;  or,  if  by 
extraordinary  assiduity,  it  gets  the  burthen  a  little 
farther  up,  it  is  only  rewarded  for  its  folly  by  tum- 
bling down  again,  burthen  and  all,  to  the  bottom  of 
its  artificial  hill.  But  as  the  ant,  untaught  by  expe- 
rience, renews  the  enterprise  with  like  success,  so 
will  you. 

4th.  These  associations  foster  a  spirit  of  exclusive 
benevolence  ;  if,  indeed,  that  can  be  benevolence  which 
is  exclusive.  Their  adherents  freely  parade  their  do- 
nations to  advance  their  hobby,  but  have  little  or 
nothing  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Practically 
their  motto  is,  millions  for  our  favorite  idea,  but  not 
a  cent  to  spread  the  Gospel. 

5th.  If  these  men  will  devote  the  same  zeal,  and 
time,  and  energies,  and  money,  to  the  direct  further- 
ance of  the  Gospel,  they  would  do  really  more  to- 
wards their  professed  object  than  they  do  now.  You 
can  never  push  a  single,  isolated  "  idea"  ahead  of  the 
Gospel,  and  keep  it  there.  All  true  reform  is  sym- 
metrical. God's  way  of  reforming  the  world  is  not 
to  carry  one  thing  forward  at  a  time,  and  then  re- 
turn and  take  another.  His  mode  is  not  to  make 
the  world  temperance  men  first,  and  then  come  back, 

E 


34 

and  go  to  work  to  make  them  Sabbath-keepers ;  and 
then,  when  that  is  done,  return  again,  and  take  hold 
of  something  else.  His  plan  is  to  take  all  along  to- 
gether. This  is  the  only  safe  way.  Mere  abstinence 
from  alcohol,  while  men  indulge  in  a  thousand  other 
things  just  as  bad,  is  but  little  moral  advantage  to 
the  world,  and  is  a  small  reward  for  the  labor  and 
expense  bestowed  in  bringing  it  about.  If  salvation 
from  mere  temporal  misery  is  your  object,  then  bend 
your  efforts  to  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel,  and 
that,  in  its  benign  workings,  will  save  mankind  from 
a  greater  amount  of  even  temporal  misery — for  it  will 
reform  multitudes  not  only  from  their  cups  but  from 
all  other  vices.  Then,  it  has  the  infinite  advantage 
over  your  scheme,  of  making  its  saving  virtue  felt 
beyond  the  grave.  Aim,  therefore,  to  make  men 
Christians,  and  you  will  gain,  not  only  your  favorite 
object,  but  every  thing  else  that  is  worth  gaining. 

6th.  Men  who  become  warmly  enlisted  in  these  en- 
terprizes,  are  prone  to  substitute  their  good  w^orks, 
in  these  respects,  for  their  duties  to  the  church.  Be- 
coming absorbed  in  a  single  thing,  leads  them  to 
neglect  those  private  and  public  ordinances,  design- 
ed for  their  individual  sanctification.  They  have  no 
time  or  heart  except  for  the  one  thing.  In  this  they 
do  a  twofold  injury:  an  injury  to  themselves — an 
injury  to  religion.  An  injury  to  themselves,  because 
they  are  neglecting  their  own  dearest  interests.  An 
injury  to  religion,  because  they  withhold  from  the 
church  those  services  which  she  has  a  right,  from 
their  covenant  vows,  to  expect. 


35 

7th.  These  associations,  by  confining  the  mind  to 
a .  single  "  idea,"  make  their  members  self-righteous, 
uncharitable  and  dictatorial.  Do  you  hesitate  to  fa- 
vor this  or  that  move  in  the  Temperance  Reform  ? 
You  are  a  drunkard — not  only  "  a  gluttonous  ii|an 
and  a  wine-bibber  and  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sin- 
ners," but  worse.  You  are  behind  the  age.  You 
oppose  every  good  reform.  Do  you  hesitate  to  fall 
in  with  a  new  phase  of  the  Abolition  movement  ? 
You  are  a  "  manstealer."  So  with  respect  to  other 
movements  of  a  similar  character.  Call  to  mind  the 
dictatorial  tone  and  manner  of  the  reformed  drunk- 
ards. With  what  impudent,  not  to  say  impious  dog- 
matism, did  they  attempt  to  mark  out  a  course  for 
the  clergy  ?  He  who  had  the  presumption  to  ques- 
tion their  right  to  dictate,  or  to  refuse  them  his  pul- 
pit, must  at  once  be  assailed  with  a  virulence  as  ma- 
licious as  it  was  unrelenting.  Yet  they  were  thrust 
forward  and  encouraged  in  this  bitter  proscription, 
by  whom  ?  by  your  respectable  and  cJmrch-going  refor- 
mers. What  cared  they  for  the  sacredness  of  their 
religion  or  of  the  pulpit  ?  All  must  be  degraded  to 
suit  this  grand  stride  in  the  "march  of  mind."  In- 
stead of  attending,  as  they  ought,  to  their  religious 
duties,  these  newly  tamed  lions  must  be  led  about,  to 
roar  and  rage,  in  the  proportion  of  twice  against  the 
ministry  to  once  against  "  King  Alcohol."  Whenever 
a  blasphemous  wretch  took  it  into  his  head  to  get 
out  of  the  ditch,  wash,  put  on  a  clean  shirt  and 
dub  himself  a  Reformed  Drunkard,  the  minister  of 
God  must  be  thrust  aside  and  his  pulpit  given  up, 


36 

that  this  new  proselyte  may  detail  a  minute  account 
of  his  revellings  and  debaucheries,  and  "  glory  in  his 
shame,"  before  whom  ?  Before  the  chaste  wives  and 
daughters  of  these  very  men — men  whose  religious 
sensibilities  are  so  exceedingly  nice  and  refined,  that 
they  would  not,  for  the  world,  allow  their  daughter 
to  read  a  novel.  Would  that  this  were  all.  They 
likewise  assume  to  dictate  to  the  church,  what  she 
shall  believe  and  what  she  shall  do.  Not  satisfied 
to  lay  hold  of  the  ark  of  God  as  it  is  in  the  high- 
way, they  follow  it  to  the  tabernacle ;  rend  aside  the 
curtains  with  their  uncircumcised  hands,  and  press 
their  heaven  daring  intrusion  even  to  the  most  holy 
place.  They  attempt  to  introduce  syrup  as  a  substi- 
tute for  wine,  as  an  emblem  of  the  Saviour's  blood ; 
and  if  the  appointed  officers  of  God's  house,  do  not 
see  fit  to  connive  at  the  sacrilege,  they,  too,  must 
be  persecuted  and  hunted  down  by  the  same  fell 
spirit  of  profanation.  This  is  no  fancy  sketch.  It  is 
a  picture  of  facts.  To  their  shame  be  it  spoken, 
many  of  the  churches  have  yielded,  and  become  sub- 
servient. When  the  Synod  of  Albany,  during  a 
regular  meeting,  as  is  the  custom,  threw  itself  on  the 
hospitality  of  one  of  its  churches,  though  its  pastor, 
if  not  its  session,  could  not  but  have  known,  that 
such  a  step  would  be  offensive  to  many,  this  session 
were  allowed,  without  the  least  intimation  of  what 
was  to  be  done,  to  offer  this  syrup  at  the  commun- 
ion service,  to  the  Synod,  as  an  emblem  of  their 
Redeemer's  blood.  ["  Scrutator,"  do  you  know  any 
thing  of  this  ?]    This  same  session  have  taken  it  upon 


37 

them  to  rebuke,  in  their  official  capacity,  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  for  their  action  on  Slavery,  and  to  pub- 
lish that  rebuke  to  the  world.  In  the  same  spirit,  it 
is  said,  that  the  pastor  and  the  session  have  taken 
incipient  measures  for  dissolving  their  connexion 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  because,  forsooth,  the 
General  Assembly  will  not  consent  to  the  idea  that 
the  opinions  of  said  pastor  and  session  are  infallible 
on  the  subject  of  Slavery.  Happily,  however,  if  ru- 
mor be  true,  this  pastor  and  session  have  been  over- 
ruled by  a  vote,  for  their  honor  be  it  spoken,  of  the 
congregation.  Before  us  lies  the  printed  form  of  an 
invitation  to  communion,  adopted  by  another  church, 
in  an  adjoining  county.  We  will  give  it  to  the 
reader. 

Form  of  Invitation  to  the  Communion. — All  persons 
present,  members  of  Evangelical  churches  in  good 
and  regular  standing,  except  such  as  use,  manufac- 
ture or  trafic  in  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage,  and 
also  such  as  hold  their  fellow-men  in  slavery,  or  jus- 
tify slavery  or  advocate  its  continued  existence,  are 
cordially  invited  to  sit  down  with  us  at  the  table  of 
our  common  Lord  and  Redeemer. 

This  very  church,  with  the  spirit  of  the  true  "  Pro- 
gressive Democracy  in  religion,"  have  also  taken  the 
ground,  that  it  is  unlawful  for  its  members  to  Jceep  a 
secret,  and  will  neither  commune  with  nor  tolerate  a 
fellow-christian,  who  is  an  Odd  Fellow.  However, 
we  do  not  know  that  they  are  very  blameworthy, 
when  learned  Synods  and  Presbyteries  are  so  ready 
to  adopt  a  mode  of  legislation,  which,  either  expli- 
citly, or  in  effecty  makes  dancing,  and  various  other 


38 

tilings  of  a  similar  nature,  terms  of  chnrch  member- 
ship. So  long  as  this  is  the  case,  we  have  little  hope 
that  the  spirit  of  dictation  on  the  part  of  these  ex- 
traneous organizations,  and  the  consequent  troubles 
they  are,  in  this  way,  causing  throughout  the  land, 
will  come  to  an  end. 

8th.  These  associations,  by  these  proceedings,  pro- 
duce a  most  unhappy  impression  on  the  irreligious. 
Nothing  brings  religion  into  disrepute  so  much  as 
the  false  issues  these  associations  are  constantly  rais- 
ing. When  a  single  question  of  this  kind  is  made 
the  all-in-all  of  religion,  men  lose  their  respect  for  its 
professors,  and,  by  consequence,  for  the  thing  itself. 
Many  become  infidels. 

9th.  They  impose  on  the  public  by  fallacious  sta- 
tistics, and  build  on  these  statistics  an  equallj"  falla- 
cious philosophy.  When  jail  and  prison  statistics 
were  first  gathered  on  the  subject  of  Temperance, 
they  fell  on  the  world  like  the  "  Awful  Disclosures 
of  Maria  Monk."  Men  were  astounded.  Much  of 
this  statistical  information  was  well  calculated  to  de- 
ceive. When  an  ardent  lecturer,  who  was  eager  to 
magnify  his  single  "  idea"  as  much  as  possible,  visited 
a  jail  or  prison,  he  was  ready  to  put  down  every 
culprit,  Avho,  in  the  course  of  his  life,  had  drunk  a 
glass  of  liquor,  as  having  been  brought  there  b}^  in- 
temperance. All  the  crime,  and  evil,  and  misery, 
according  to  these  estimates,  were  the  result  of  in- 
temperance. 

Finally,  they  are  diverting  the  mind  of  Chris- 
tians  from  their   great    and    appropriate    business 


39 

ness — the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Not  only  is  this  the 
effect  of  associations  already  formed,  as  we  think 
Ave  have  sufficiently  shown,  but  there  has  arisen  a 
sort  of  mania  for  society  making.  When  it  will  ex- 
haust itself,  and  the  religious  public  will  come  to 
their  senses  on  this  subject,  we  cannot  tell.  One 
thing  we  know,  these  things  are  exceedingly  inju- 
rious to  religion.^     Entertaining  these  views  of  the 

*  We  cut  an  article  from  the  Presbyterian,  taken  originally  from 
the  Boston  Recorder,  which  humorously  exposes  the  false  philoso- 
phy of  the  age,  built  on  these  false  statistics ;  and,  also,  the  mania 
for  society  making.  As  it  will,  doubtless,  be  a  treat  to  the  reader, 
we  transcribe  it  entire — title  and  all  : — 

Unguinianism. — Is  it  not  astonishing,  that  in  this  age  of  reforma- 
tions, the  Christian  world  has  continued  to  sleep  over  this  important 
subject — the  excessive  paring  of  nails  ?  Once  a  week  is  certainly 
sufficient,  for  all  reasonable  purposes.  Why,  then,  should  we 
suffer  that  immense  waste  of  time  and  talent,  caused  by  doino-  it 
twice  a  week  ?  Suppose  that  the  operation  is  performed  in  one 
minute — which  is  certainly  a  moderate  estimate.  The  world  is 
supposed  to  contain  8(t0,000,000  inhabitants.  By  paring  nails 
twice  a  week,  therefore,  instead  of  once,  800,000,000  minutes  are 
lost  to  the  human  race  every  week.  The  minutes  are  equal  to 
13,333,333  hours,  or  555,555  days,  or  1520  years,  every  week,  or 
79,040  years  of  human  life  annually.  Or  rather,  allowing  men  to 
labour  only  twelve  hours  a  day  instead  of  twenty-four,  it  is  equal 
to  the  entire  labour  of  158,080  men.  Allowing  their  time  to  be 
worth  $100  a  year  each,  the  annual  pecuniary  loss  amounts  to 
$15,808,000.  This  sum  would  endow  105  colleges  annually,  with 
funds  of  $150,000  each.  It  would  give  a  salary  of  $500  each  to 
31,616  ministers.  It  would  build  5,269  meeting  houses  annually 
at  $3,000  each.  ^ 

But  the  pecuniary  loss  is  not  the  most  affecting  consideration. 
Only  think  of  the  entire  working  hours  of  150,080  men,  squan- 
dered in  the  unnecessary  paring  of  finger  nails  !  So  much  useful 
human  activity  blotted  from  existence  !  So  much  opportunity  for 
mental  and  moral  improvement,  annihilated  !  So  many  human  be- 
ings, so  far  as  useful  existence  is  concerned,  murdered  in  every 
generation  !  Or,  rather,  every  individual  of  the  human  race,  robbed 
of  his  share  of  158,080  years  of  life  !  O  !  the  apathy  of  mankind, 
in  view  of  this  universal  murder  !  And  we  have  all,  by  our  silent 
acquiescence,  if  in  no  other  way,  consented  to  it,  and  thus  made 
ourselves  partakers  of  the  guilt.     What  meetings  have  we  held-— 


40 

whole  policy  of  extraneous  organizations,  we  think 
we  shall  err  on  the  mfe  side,  by  steadily  adhering  to 
God's  plan  of  reforming  the  world.  \Ye  are  not 
captious.  We  speak  forth  the  words  of  "  truth  and 
soberness."  Here  we  close  our  plea  for  the  Church, 
as  the  great  imtrument  of  reform  ;  and  will  only  add, 
"  may  our  right  hand  forget  its  cunning,  and  our 
tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  our  mouth,  if,"  in  this 
respect,  "  we  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  our  chief 

joy." 

Akin  to  these  extraneous  associations,  and  as  a 
part  of  the  same  policy,  are  the  special  enactments  of 
ecclesiastical  bodies  against  special  evils.  This  is  no 
more  the  Gospel  policy — or  the  policy  instituted  by 
Christ  and  the  Apostles,  than  the  former.  What  do 
these  men  mean  by  such  legislation  ?  Do  they  in- 
tend thereby  to  siipyly  the  deficiences  of  the  word  of 
God  ?  Or,  if,  as  they  tell  us,  and  as  the  New  School 
Assembly  have  told  the  world  on  the  subject  of 
dancing,  the  Bible  is  'phin  and  explicit  on  these  points, 

what  agents  have  we  sent  forth — what  presses  have  we  established 
— what  notes  of  remonstrance  have  we  in  any  way  sent  forth, 
against  this  devourer  of  human  life  ?  The  pulpit  is  dumb,  the  press 
is  muzzled,  and  universal  silence  proclaims  our  condemnation,  as 
a  pro-too-much-nail-cutting  people.  Where,  O  where  is  the  Lu- 
ther,  whose  iron  trumpet-note  shall  break  this  sleep  of  ages  ? — 

Where  is  the  Howard,  whose  "circumnavigation  of  charity" 

and  so  on,  as  long  as  you  please. 

If  any  one  questions  the  fact,  that  men  pare  their  nails  twice  a 
week,  instead  of  once,  as  they  ought,  he  may  be  put  down  by  the 
following  plain  answers.  1.  It  is  notorious  that  they  do.  2.  He 
who  denies  it  is  wholly  uninformed  on  this  subject.  3.  He  is  alto- 
gether behind  the  spirit  of  the  age.  4.  He  is  an  enemy  to  the 
unguinian  reformation.  5.  He  pares  his  own  nails  too  much.  6. 
All  the  other  arguments  which  are  fashionable  on  such  occasions. 


41 

do  they  intend  to  confer  on  that  Word,  by  their 
ecclesiastical  enactments,  additional  sanctity  ?  Do 
they  impart  to  it  additional  unction  ?  If  it  be  so, 
why  not  have  the  next  General  Assembly  (shall  it 
be  after  a  season  of  special  prayer?)  solemnly  add 
their  collective  sanction  to  the  Ten  Commandments, 
or  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  or  Paul's  Epistle  to 
the  Romans  ?  Would  not  the  Decalogue,  ever  after, 
assail  the  conscience  with  a  mightier  energy? — 
Would  not  the  Beatitudes  acquire  additional  virtue  ? 
AV^ould  not  Paul's  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  Justi- 
fication, be  like  the  bursting  out  of  the  full  orbed 
sun  at  midnight  ?  Were  he  to  rise  to  life  again,  just 
after  such  an  enactment  had  passed  the  Assembly, 
would  not  his  ardent  soul  swell  with  gratitude  for 
this  timely  aid  ?  And  Moses,  too,  were  he  to  stand 
by  the  side  of  the  Apostle,  on  the  occasion,  would 
he  not  receive  the  Decalogue  on  account  of  this  ad- 
ditional sanctity,  thus  conferred  upon  it,  with  a  pro- 
founder  awe,  than  he  did  amid  the  smoke,  and  flames, 
and  thunderings  of  Sinai  ?  But  they  intend  to  drive 
these  evils  out  of  the  world  by  their  ecclesiastical 
"  resolves."  Foolish  Apostles !  How  were  you  de- 
luded in  supposing  this  wicked  world  was  to  be  sub- 
jugated to  our  Lord  and  His  Christ,  by  that  "  Word" 
which  you  called  ''  mighty  through  God  to  the  pull- 
ing down  of  the  strong  holds  ?"  What  treasures  of 
time  and  labor  have  you  squandered  through  this 
vain  delusion  !  Had  you  only  been  favored  with  a 
discovery  of  the  improvement  of  modern  times,  and 
devoted  yourselves  to  the  cdl-cffickd  method  of  assem- 

F 


42 

bling  in  your  ecclesiastical  capacity,  and  passing 
"  resolves"  against  this  and  that  evil,  we,  of  the  pre- 
sent day,  would  have  been  basking  amid  the  full 
blaze  of  the  Millenium.  Happily,  however,  our 
modern  Presb3^teries  and  Synods  will  soon  recover 
what  you  have  lost.  They  will  now  go  to  work 
with  an  unconquerable  determination  to  kill  Intem- 
perance, Slavery,  Dancing,  Worldliness,  and  other 
evils,  by  their  all-potent  '•'  resolves."  Glorious  era  ! 
Another  grand  stride  in  the  ''  march  of  mind  !"  By 
all  means,  let  these  learned  Synods  be  immediately 
convened,  that  they  may  make  up  a  few  hundred  bun- 
dles of  these  "resolves,"  to  send  to  the  heathen.  Only 
arm  the  missionarj'  mth  a  few  of  them,  and  he  will 
have  no  more  use  for  that  paltry  Bible,  on  which 
heretofore  he  has  so  much  relied. 

Some  fourteen  years  ago,  Sir,  your  Synod  passed 
resolutions  encouraging  the  formation  of  Seventh 
Commandment  Societies,  and  expressly  recommend- 
ed McDowell  and  his  Journal  to  the  confidence  of 
the  Christian  public.  What  did  you  ?  You  threw 
a  ball  of  yarn  against  a  mountain  of  granite.  And 
you  might  have  continued  to  throw  till  doom's  day, 
yet  you  never  would  have  made  an  impression.  But 
what  is  the  criterion  by  which  you  determine  the 
necessity  of  such  legislation  ?  By  the  magnitude  of 
the  evils  contemplated  ?  Then  instead  of  encourag- 
ing Seventh  Commandment  Societies  simply,  why 
did  you  not  begin  at  the  beginning  ?  Why  did  you 
not  pass  an  enactment  favoring  the  formation  of  a 
First  Commandment  Society  ?    Then  a  Second,  then 


43 

a  Third,  and  so  on,  till  you  had  gone  through  the 
Decalogue  ?  till  you  had  stirred  up  the  churches  to 
form  ten  distinct  societies,  corresponding  to  the  Ten 
Commandments  ?  More  still.  On  the  same  princi- 
ple why  did  you  not  favor  further  organizations 
against  the  "  Species^'  as  well  as  the  "  Genus  ?"  Had 
you  taken  the  Shorter  Catechism,  and  singled  out 
the  particular  vices  mentioned  in  the  various  an- 
swers given  to  the  question.  What  does  this  or  that 
commandment  teach  ?  had  you  selected  these  vices 
as  fit  objects  for  special  organizations,  you  would 
have  made  a  far  more  logical  use  of  these  questions 
and  answers,  than  you  did  in  your  miserable  replica- 
tion to  our  arguments.  Yes,  carry  out  the  principle. 
Keep  on  till  you  get  up  as  many  organizations  as 
there  are  evils  in  the  world.  Then,  where  are  you  ? 
Just  where  the  church  was  at  the  oiUsef.  That  was 
organized  against  all  these  vices,  and  this  is  what  you 
have  done,  with  one  rniportant  difierence  ;  the  church 
possesses  within  herself  the  elements  of  power  amphf 
adequate  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  object.  But 
these  elements  do  not  belong  to  either  one  of  your 
particular  organizations  nor  to  all  comhincd.  Were 
we  to  adopt  the  principle,  the  Synod  thus  sanctioned 
by  its  legislation,  we  would  immediately  set  about 
the  project  of  dividing  up  the  church  into  sub-com- 
mittees, each  having  for  its  object  the  extermination 
of  some  particular  evil.  [Here,  by  the  by,  is  another 
difficulty  connected  with  special  organizations  ;  that 
the  principle,  carried  out,  leads  to  a  manifest  absurd- 
ity.]    With  our  present  views,  however,  instead  of 


44 

forming  these  sub-committees,  we  prefer  remaining 
in  '•'  committee  of  the  whole  ;"  and  also  prefer  that 
learned  ecclesiastics  devote  the  time,  spent  in  putting 
forth  these  special  enactments,  to  the  better  employ- 
ment of  preaching  the  Gospel.  Still,  if  they  think 
they  can  break  and  scatter  the  rock  to  fragments  by 
hurling  at  it  their  balls  of  yarn,  we  repeat,  ^*'  Let 
them  try  their  experiments."  One  would  suppose 
a  little  reflection  would  teach  them  the  folly  of  such 
measures.  At  all  events,  that  they  would  learn  this 
from  histort/,  if  not  from  reflection.  The  entire  expe- 
rience of  the  Church,  through  all  ages,  demonstrates 
the  utter  inutility  of  all  such  special  enactments. 

Take  the  matter  of  Dancing,  for  an  example.  The 
kirks  of  Scotland  have  repeatedly  attempted  to  sup- 
press it.  But  all  to  no  eflect.  It  is  notorious  that 
the  Scotch  have  kept  up  the  custom  of  dancing  from 
time  immemorial,  and  the  more  the  kirks  legislate 
the  less  they  accomplish.  Human  nature  will  not 
bear  it.  Here,  by  the  by,  is  ^fact  that  does  not  fall 
in  with  the  theory  of  "  Scrutator,"  and  his  allies,  on 
this  subject.  Dancing  has  not  had  so  demoralizing 
an  effect  on  the  Scotch  as  they  argue  it  must  have. 
Where  is  there  a  church  on  earth  more  celebrated 
for  its  adherence  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  than 
the  Scotch  church  ?  Where  is  there  a  people  that 
have  deteriorated  less  than  they  in  point  of  morals  ? 
However,  we  refer  to  this  fact  not  to  justify  dancing 
by  American  Christians.  We  still  tliink.  that,  in  ex- 
isting  circumstances,  it  is  better  for  all  Christians  to 
abstain.     But  it  is  an  evidence  that  no  ecclesiastical 


45 

legislation  can  reach  the  evil.  We  might  compile 
volumes  of  historical  examples  to  the  same  point. 
Whenever  the  Church  has  tried  this  kind  of  legisla- 
tion, she  has  either  barely  failed,  or  else  increased 
the  evil.  It  never  does  any  good.  One  enactment 
against  Dancing,  enforced  through  the  Sessions,  by 
way  of  discipline,  will  cause  ten  dancing  parties, 
where  there  was  one  before.  You  can  only  suppress 
the  evil  by  elevating  the  tone  of  piety  through  the 
Gospel.  Do  this,  and  you  will  have  nothing  to  fear. 
What  we  wish  you  to  understand  is,  that,  even  if 
these  evils  are  as  bad  as  }'ou  say,  yet,  3^ou  are  not 
taking  the  method  to  get  rid  of  them.  You  have 
taken  hold  of  the  vn-ong  end  of  the  lever.  Now,  if 
you  will  just  cease  this  waste  of  energies — if  you  will 
just  step  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  fulcrum,  and 
take  hold  of  the  long  end  of  the  lever,  you  will  lift 
these  obstacles  out  of  the  way  with  far  greater  ease. 
Do  this,  and  you  will  not  run  the  hazard  of  breaking 
your  backs,  by  an  excessive  strain,  without  accom- 
plishing your  object. 

In  saying  what  we  have,  our  sole  ol^ject  has 
been  to  follow  out  the  maxim  of  the  Rev.  Albert 
Barnes,  quoted  on  our  title  page,  i.  e.  "  to  convince 
the  world,"  as  far  as  in  us  lies,  "  that  christians  are 
not  of  necessity /(9(?/-5."  Our  position  in  regard  to  the, 
so  called,  reforms  of  the  da}^,  will,  of  course,  be  mis- 
represented. "  Fools"  Avill  stigmatize  us  as  the  advo- 
cate of  Dancing,  of  drunkenness,  and  the  opponent 
of  every  good  reform.  But  we  know  perfectly  with 
whom  we  have  to  deal,  and  have  counted  the  cod  of 


4B 

the  undertaking.    We  think  we  shall  be  able  to  meet 
every  item  of  the  expense,  and  honor  every  draft, 
though  it  be  payable  at  mgU.     On  the  score  of  per- 
sonal piety,  we  concede  the  palm  to  "  Scrutator" — 
"  et  id  omne  genus."  For  we  frankly  confess  we  have 
no  religion  to  load  of    To  the  public  we  say,  we  love 
every  yoocl  reform,  but  from  our  very  soul  we  abomi- 
imte  fanaticism.     If  we  mud  choose  we  prefer  that  our 
house  may  rot  down  by  gradual  decay,  than  to  have 
it  torn  up  and  scattered  over  the  fields  by  a  whirl- 
wind.    For  the  present,  we  shall  remain  in  a  state  of 
"  masterly  inactivity,"  and  see  what  we  shall  see ; — 
simply  commending,  in  conclusion,  to  "  Scrutator"  and 
his  allies,  the  following  from  the  pen  of  the  great  and 
good  Pascal ;  one,  of  whom  the  Avorld  are  constrained 
to  say — "  Few  men  have  ever  dwelt  on  this  ideal  of 
moral  perfection  [i.  e.  Christ]  or  sought  to  realize  its 
image  in  themselves,  Avith  more  ardor  than  he."    He 
says  : 

'•  You  go  so  fixr  as  to  say,  '  that  I  have  turned  sa- 
"  cred  tilings  into  ridicule'  What !  are  the  fancies  of 
"  your  authors  to  pass  for  articles  of  faith  ?  And  may 
"  not  the  fantastic  and  unchristian  decisions  of  some 
"  oi  goiir  ivritcrs,  be  laughed  at,  without  incurring  the 
"  charge  of  making  a  jest  of  religion  ?  Are  }^ou  not 
"  seriously  apprehensive,  that,  while  censuring  me 
"  for  ridiculing  your  extravagancies,  you  will  furnish 
"  me  with  a  new  subject  of  mockerj^,  namely,  that 
"  veri/  censure  itself?  tliat-I  shall  retort  it  upon  your- 
"  selves,  by  showing  that  I  have  ridiculed  nothing 
"  in  your  writings  but  what  was  reall//  ridiculous  ? — 


^'•'  There  is  a  loonderful  dijfereme  between  laughing  at  reli- 
"  gion,  and  laughing  at  ilmsc  ivho  profane  it  hg  their  ex- 
"  travagani  opinions.  There  are  two  things  sufficiently 
"  obvious  in  the  truths  of  religion,  a  divine  beauty 
"  which  renders  them  lovely,  and  a  holy  majesty, 
"  which  makes  them  venerable  ;  and  there  are  two 
"  observable  peculiarities  in  errors — an  impietg,  tvhich 
"  renders  them  koyrihle,  and  an  impertinence  which  makes 
"  them  ridiculous.  Having  sufficiently  explained  this 
*"'  point,  I  shall  do  no  more  than  quote  the  admirable 
"  language  of  Tertullian,  which  justifies  my  whole 
"  procedure.  '  There  are  many  things  which  deserve 
"  to  be  derided  and  jeered  in  this  manner,  lest  they 
"  should  acquire  any  kind  of  importance  by  a  serious 
^'  attack.  Nothing  is  more  worthy  of  laughter  than 
"  vanity,  and  it  belongs  to  truth  to  laugh,  because 
"  she  is  gay,  and  to  sport  with  her  enemies,  because 
"  she  is  certain  of  victory'  Charity  sometimes  obliges 
"  us  to  ridicule  the  errors  of  men,  that  they  may  be 
"  induced  to  laugh  at  them  themselves^ 
Thus  endeth  the  second  lesson  from 

CLERICUS. 


APPENDIX. 


Another  of  the  "ten  cases,"  (including  that  of  the  "Old  Lady") 
to  whicli  the  author  of  the  Tract  on  the  Evils  of  Intemperance 
referred,  and  the  truthfulness  of  which  is  vouched  for  by  the  Ame- 
rican Tract  Society,  has  just  come  to  our  knowledge.  It  is  the 
case  of  a  young  man,  twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  is  related  as 
follows :  "  He  was  found  in  a  blacksmith's  shop,  just  across  the 
way  from  where  he  had  been.  The  owner,  all  of  a  sudden,  dis- 
covered an  extensive  light  in  his  sliop,  as  though  tlie  whole  buildivg 
was  ill  a  jiame.  He  ran  with  tlie  greatest  precipitancy,  and,  on 
flinging  open  the  door,  discovered  a  man  standing  erect  in  the 
midst  of  a  widely  extended  silver  coloured  blaze,  bearing,  as  he 
described  it,  exactly  the  appearance  of  the  wick  of  a  burning  can- 
dle, in  the  midst  of  its  own  flame.  He  seized  him  by  the  shoulder 
and  jerked  him  to  the  door ;  upon  which  the  flame  was  instantly 
extinguished,"  &c. — with  the  usual  disastrous  termination.  This 
case,  it  appears,  was  a  Utile  different  from  that  of  the  "  Old  Lady." 
Water,  poured  on  in  "  abundance"  had  no  effect  in  her  case,  except 
to  make  the  fire  "  more  violent"  but  the  "young  man"  was  instantly 
^^  jerked  out  of  the  flame"  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  blacksmith. — 
There  are  other  internal  evidences  of  the  truthfulness  oC  this  story, 
equally  as  conclusive  as  those  in  the  story  of  the  "Aged  Pastor,"  or 
of  that  relating  to  the  "  Old  Lady."  We  serve  up  this  story  sim- 
ply as  another  "  Dumpling  of  Comfort"  for  "  Scrutator."  He  will 
doubtless  relish  this  even  more  than  he  did  the  one  furnished  him 
by  the  "Aged  Pastor,"  for  this  is  yet  hot — the  blacksmith  has  just 
"jerked  it  out  of  the  flame."  Down  with  it,  "Scrutator;"  but 
beware  of  "  spontaneous  combustion."  "Oh!  Sir,  we  would  be 
sorry"  to  have  you  burn  up  "for  your  otcn  sake.'' 


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